Lord Bach: There are many separate statutory provisions available to Defra officials ("inspectors") providing for entry and inspection or search of business premises and homes located in England and Wales. There is no single code of enforcement and investigation powers akin to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and a comprehensive and exhaustive list of all of the statutory provisions currently in force is not readily available but I mention some examples below. (Chapter Eight of The Law of Entry, Search and Seizure (4th Edition) (2005) by Professor Richard Stone of Lincoln University is a very useful guide to the law and sets out the sorts of powers that exist).
	Without a power to enter and inspect or search the relevant premises, business premises or where appropriate home, the law could probably not be properly enforced. Most legal provisions creating obligations or restrictions on activity will therefore have entry powers in the enforcement provisions. For a recent example which came into force on 17 November 2005 see the Salmonella in Broiler Flocks (Survey Powers) (England) Regulations 2005 SI No. 2927, Regulation 5(3)(a) of which provides a power to enter premises to take samples of faecal material from broiler chickens.
	Premises and business premises
	Generally, inspectors have a routine right to enter premises, including land, at all reasonable hours for the purpose of ascertaining whether legal requirements are being complied with. It is normally an offence to refuse entry. In some cases inspectors must have reasonable grounds to believe that a state of affairs exists before seeking to enter such premises—see, for example, Section 19(2) of the food and environmental protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides.
	Use of reasonable force and warrants to enter business premises
	Sometimes reasonable use of force can be used to achieve entry and inspection or search of business premises—see for example paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 of food and environmental protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides.
	But where entry is refused and a power to use reasonable force is not available a warrant to enter and inspect or search can normally be sought from a magistrates' court—see for example Section 16(5) of the Animal Health Act 1981, as inserted by Section 7 of the Animal Health Act 2002, in relation to "animal treatment entry warrants". Before granting a warrant to enter the magistrate must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the relevant regulations. Reasonable use of force can normally be used to execute such entry warrants.
	Domestic premises
	Where inspectors wish to enter and inspect or search domestic premises, and this is usually when a criminal offence is suspected, the law invariably requires a search warrant. The magistrate granting the warrant must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the regulations. Where such entry warrants are used for investigative purposes the occupier must be informed of his legal rights in accordance with paragraph 6.7 of Code B to the Code of Search (2004) issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.